Karnataka : Dissidence in Cong, JDS after cabinet expansion
Bengaluru, June 7 (IBNS): A day after the Karnataka cabinet expansion with the induction of 25 new ministers, dissidence surfaced in the Congress and JDS on Thursday as disappointed senior legislators criticised their leaders for ignoring their seniority and services.
According to media reports, several senior legislators of the two parties expressed their anger against their respective party leaders for ignoring them for cabinet berths.
The Hindu said in several districts, Congress workers staged protests for denying Cabinet berths for their leaders.
Congress leaders such as M.B. Patil, H.K. Patil, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, B.C. Patil, B.K. Sangameshwar, M.T.B. Nagaraj, Satish Jarkiholi, Eshwar Khandre, N.A. Haris, S.R. Patil, and Dinesh Gundu Rao are believed to have been disappointed over the manner in which the Cabinet expansion was undertaken by the party.
M.B. Patil, former Water Resources Minister who failed to make it to the Cabinet, has been quoted by The Hindu as saying that he would not take any post offered by the government.
Speaking to the media after the swearing-in ceremony of new Ministers, he said, “I will call on the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara to know why I was not included in the Cabinet.”
B.C. Patil, three-time MLA from Hirekerur, also blasted State and central party leaders of the Congress for denying him a Cabinet berth. “MLAs who indulged in blackmail politics and those with money power have been given Cabinet berth,” he claimed. The Congress has shut the door for sincere and committed party leaders, he alleged.
. Nagaraj, MLA for Hoskote, and Sangameshwar, MLA for Bhadravati, too criticised party leaders. Sangameshwar threatened to quit his Assembly membership if the party did not provide him with a “suitable post”.
On Wednesday, 14 ministers from the Congress and nine from its ruling coalition partner JD(S) besides one each from the BSP and the KPJP were inducted into the HD Kumaraswamy ministry.
Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
HD Revanna, son of former prime minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and state senior Congress leaders DK Shivakumar were among those who took the oath.
JDS’ GT Deve Gowda, who had emerged as a giant killer defeating former chief minister Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru in the assembly polls was also inducted.
Congress MLC Jayamala was the lone woman minister.
Under the power-sharing arrangement, Congress is having 22 ministers and the JDS 12.
With this expansion, the strength of the ministry has gone up to 27, leaving seven more vacancies to be filled.
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